It is known that pedestrians and bicycle riders are especially endangered in road traffic and are exposed to a considerable chance of injury in the event of a collision with a vehicle because of the absence of suitable protection. These injuries are due in particular to the fact that in a collision between a vehicle and a pedestrian, parts of the pedestrian's body will directly strike the hard and relatively unyielding body parts of the vehicle. The head of an adult pedestrian is in particular danger in a collision with a vehicle because his head will strike the vehicle in the relatively hard area of the transition from the hood to the windshield or on the windshield proper, thereby suffering considerable injury.
In order to reduce injuries produced when the body of a pedestrian strikes the front hood of a vehicle, it has been proposed that the vehicle be provided with an approximately wedge-shaped front part having a front edge which is as soft as possible. However, this does not eliminate the problem of the relatively hard rear portions of the front hood of the vehicle which rise sharply to form the windshield and, along with other parts, cause serious head injuries. Intercepting loops have likewise been proposed for the protection of pedestrians. These loops, after being triggered by sensor devices arranged, e.g., on the bumper, are folded upward and hold the pedestrian on the hood after a collision so that he cannot be hurtled back to the street from the hood. This device, however, also cannot diminish the dangers of injury that occur when the head and the upper body of the pedestrian strike the windshield at the rear zone of the hood.